KAYLA Lachney
Registration No.: 35578-510
FPC Bryan
Release Plan
December 30, 2023
Dear Unit Team:
Before surrendering, I researched the best practices for serving time in federal prison. From that research, I found different websites to help me prepare. As I studied the information, I learned about the role of the Unit Team in the Bureau of Prisons and the importance of developing a release plan.
I am embarrassed by the circumstances which brought me here, but I know that remorse alone cannot make amends. With my Unit Team’s guidance and the accountability of my loved ones, I will remain committed to making this time productive, reconciling with society, and strengthening relationships with my family.
I developed my release plan as an accountability tool that describes my self-directed pathway to prepare for the best outcomes after my release. I will continue updating and expanding the document as I meet milestones on my journey and set new goals consistent with my commitments.
The plan includes the following information:
| Identifying Information | 7. Community Support |
| Images | 8. Medical Prescriptions |
| Projected Release Planning | 9. Financial Obligations |
| Background | 10. Risk and Needs Assessment |
| My Crime | 11. Personal Plan |
| Making Amends | 12. Advisors |
I hope the Unit Team finds this plan helpful in guiding me back to my family and community as soon as possible.
Respectfully submitted,
Kayla (Lachney) Vead
Identifying Information:
- Name: My name is Kayla (Lachney) Vead.
- Date of Birth: I was born on September 21, 1982, and I am 41 years old.
- Today’s Date: I began writing this release plan on December 30, 2023.
- Sentence Length: My judge sentenced me to serve a 36-month term, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Surrender Date and Location: Authorities informed me that I must surrender to the FPC Bryan on January 31st, 2024.
- Registration Number: According to the BOP website, my registration number is: 35578-510.
- Community phone number: (318) 240-4506
- My community Email: klachney@cenlaheating.com
Images:
To provide my Unit Team with information, the final page of this document includes images from the following identifying documents:
- Driver’s License: My valid driver’s license from the state of Louisiana.
- Education:
- High School: Marksville High School
- GED: 2014
- Bachelors: University of Phoenix, 2014
- Masters: University of Phoenix, current
- Health Insurance Card: I have attached a scanned copy of my health insurance card.
- Social Security Card: I have attached a scanned copy of my Social Security Card.
- Birth Certificate: I have attached a scanned copy of my Birth Certificate.
Projected Release Planning:
My entire life, ever since I left the ninth grade, I understood that I would have to learn how to make my way in the world. To advance, I always found that a plan would help me. Any time I didn’t have a plan, things went off track. I’m surrendering to prison because I didn’t have a good plan.
To that end, I began studying the Bureau of Prisons’ website. From reading the website, I learned a great deal about the First Step Act and other BOP policies. It is my understanding that good behavior and program participation can influence an earlier transition to home confinement.
I intend to work productively with my Unit Team. With guidance from my Unit Team, I hope to advance as an excellent candidate for consideration of early transition to home confinement.
Various BOP Program Statements helped me understand how I can earn additional credits toward the 36-month sentence my judge imposed.
I learned that if I avoid disciplinary infractions, my Unit Team will award Good Conduct Time credits that amounts to 15% of the term my judge imposed. On a 36-month sentence, that amounts to credit of 5.4 months. According to my understanding, these credits leave me with a potential adjusted sentence of approximately 30.6 months.
In addition to the Good Conduct Time credits, if I comply with specific requirements, I may also earn “Time Credits,” in accordance with the First Step Act (FSA). Before qualifying for those FSA credits, I have a responsibility to complete a once I get to prison. My responses to questions on that survey will help my Unit Team assess my risk of recidivating with a PATTERN score.
The BOP’s website includes the survey questions for the PATTERN Risk Assessment:
- https://www.bop.gov/inmates/fsa/pattern.jsp
I began working through those questions independently. Based on what I learned, I anticipate that my Unit Team will agree that my PATTERN score will show me as a person with a “minimum” risk of recidivating.
According to a policy statement that I read on the BOP’s website, I understand that my Unit Team will meet with me for an Initial Unit Team meeting within 30 days of my surrender. During that Initial Classification, I anticipate that my Unit Team will agree that I am at a “minimum” risk of recidivating.
I will participate in all programs that my Unit Team recommends.
If I am accurate, I anticipate that during each of my first six months in confinement, I will receive sixty days of Earned Time credit.
The BOP website tells me that after six months, I will have another Unit Team meeting, known as a Program Review. During that Program Review, I anticipate that my Unit Team will conclude that I remain at a minimum risk of recidivating.
After two consecutive team meetings, I anticipate that my Unit Team will conclude that my PATTERN Risk Assessment will continue to show a minimum risk of reoffending. Since I will complete all programs that my Unit Team recommends, I should begin to receive 15 days of Earned Time Credit each month for the remainder of the time that I serve in prison.
Using those parameters, I projected the potential time that I will serve in prison before I become eligible to transition to home confinement.
Sentence my judge imposed: 36 months,
- Good Conduct Time: Approximately 5.4 months, for an adjusted sentence of approximately 30.6 months.
- FSA Earned Time Credit: 12 months toward earlier release for an adjusted sentence of approximately 18.6 months.
- Adjusted time that I will owe to the Bureau of Prisons: Approximately 18.6 months.
- I understand that I will serve a portion of that time in a secure facility.
- I understand that, at the discretion of my Unit Team, I may qualify to serve a portion of my term in a Residential Reentry Center (Halfway House) or on home confinement.
With this plan, I hope that my Unit Team will learn more about the steps I intend to take to advance my candidacy for early placement on home confinement.
If my projections are accurate, I anticipate owing the Bureau of Prisons between 14 and 18 months after factoring in Earned Time Credits. I am hopeful that the Bureau of Prisons will consider me a candidate for transition to home confinement or a Residential Reentry Center at the earliest possible time.
Background:
I grew up in Marksville, Louisiana, which was not an easy place to be a kid. My dad was battling addiction to drugs, and we moved around constantly – I went to 6 different elementary schools in just two years. I also experienced sexual trauma during my childhood, for which I later sought professional help. With no stable home, the five of us were crammed into my grandma’s tiny beautician shop, sleeping on a single bed and sharing one bathroom.
Things started looking up when my dad got work doing air conditioning installation. The company helped him get financing and build us a real house. But just as we were settling in, my dad started smoking crack and, after getting several DWIs, could not be trusted to get himself around town. I had to start driving at age 12 to keep him out of trouble.
I met my first husband, Daniel, in high school and had our daughter, Hali, when I was 15. Deciding that being a mother was important, I made the tough choice to leave school in the ninth grade. Daniel and I went on to have three more kids–Cody, Karli, and Daniel IV–before divorcing in 2012. I remarried to a man named Terry, and we had twins, Jase and Hunter, in 2014. Terry and I separated in 2018 after years of challenges. Since then, Terry has given up his parental rights.
Over the years, I opened and ran several businesses to support my family. When my children were young, this was a daycare business. Later, I managed an air conditioning/HVAC company. It hasn’t always been easy, but I remain focused on giving them the stable, supportive upbringing I never had. To make this happen, I dedicated myself to advancing my education. Around the time of Jase and Hunter’s birth, I completed my GED and Bachelor’s in Education. I continue working towards my Master’s today.
Through it all, my kids have been my rock. Hali just turned 24 and lives nearby, and Cody is 22. My daughter Karli is 19 and commuting to college, while Daniel IV is 17 and still at home with me. The twins just turned eight and keep me very busy. Daniel and I are remarried and share a big, loving home I’m proud to have helped create.
Daniel has formally adopted Jase and Hunter, who are comfortable living with us but scared of their biological father. In 2019, Terry was arrested after firing a weapon into our home. I regret that my actions have taken me away from them when they need me.
I offer the information above to show that although I pleaded guilty to a federal crime, and a judge sentenced me to serve a 36-month sentence, I have a long history of living as a hard-working, contributing citizen.
I regret that I placed myself in the crosshairs of the criminal justice system, and I intend to use my time to make amends for the bad decisions that led me into this predicament.
My Crime:
Given my experience running small businesses, I found work as a bookkeeper for the Rapides Parish Council on Aging around 2018. My passions lay in helping people achieve their educational goals, but while pursuing my Master’s, I needed the money this job provided. Additionally, Terry and I were beginning our acrimonious separation. The legal fees from our divorce placed significant financial pressure on me and my family.
In my role as bookkeeper, I was in charge of payroll and disbursing the public funds that supported our organization. My supervisor, Mrs. Bette Dekeyzer, was the director of the organization and had me work long hours in the evenings and on weekends. She cared about seeing her staff be paid for the time they worked and gave me permission to pay myself using organizational funds beyond payroll. In my desperation, I foolishly chose to take more funds than what I was entitled to.
When I learned that I was the target of an investigation, I agreed to do everything in my power to make things right. Immediately, I cooperated fully with federal authorities. I answered all questions asked of me promptly and to the best of my ability. I agreed to plead guilty to the offense to begin making amends for my crime and return to a healthy, law-abiding life with my family as quickly as possible.
Making Amends:
I am deeply disappointed in myself for how I behaved in this instance. Once I began going through the criminal justice system, I realized just how many ways I failed.
I want to make things right.
Toward that end, I spent a lot of time working to prepare before sentencing. I had gotten in trouble with the law before and didn’t learn my lesson. This time, I wanted to learn what I could do differently, so I began by researching the goals of the judicial system. With time to plan, I studied websites that belong to the Department of Justice and the U.S. Courts. That research led me to learn the purpose of sentencing.
Federal judges impose sentences that should:
- Deter other people from committing crimes,
- Punish people for committing crimes,
- Isolate people while they serve sentences, and
4. Rehabilitate people who commit crimes.
As a defendant, I did not have any way of influencing deterrence, punishment, or isolation. Those goals would serve the interest of justice, but my judge would impose the term that would accomplish such goals.
When it came to rehabilitation, however, I had to think. I had to consider how that fourth goal of sentencing applied to me as a 41-year-old mother of six children.
Then, I realized that “rehabilitation” isn’t only about me or restoring financial loss. It’s about the entire system, the entire country. My judge sentenced me to serve 36 months. To reconcile with society, I would have to make the most of that term. Doing so would require me to find ways to live with meaning, relevance, and usefulness.
The charge against me read: United States of America v. Kayla (Lachney) Vead. For that reason, I feel a duty to make amends to every citizen in this country. While awaiting my surrender, I devised a plan to reconcile and atone. During my term, I intend to work toward that end, and I will continue living in service upon release.
I make no excuses for my behavior. My illegal actions deprived worthy people of federal funds. No matter what hours I worked or how desperate my financial situation was, I had a duty to go about supporting my family within the bounds of the law. I failed to do this, but I will not fail to learn from the experience and return home better than when I left.
Going forward, I am dedicating myself to making whatever amends are possible. Though I cannot undo the damage from my fraud, I will spend my remaining years working to repay every dollar I wrongfully obtained – no matter how long it takes. Further, I will contribute time and resources to consumer advocacy and investor education programs so that others can avoid the mistakes I made.
Following my crime, I finally became a full-time education. I found work in a school district that I care about deeply, and I am proud to have helped raise test scores for a group of students who were previously struggling. If permitted to do so, I will return to the job teaching 5th and 6th grade, which this school will hold for me. In the meantime, I hope to use my passion for education to better the lives of those I’m incarcerated with.
While incarcerated, with approval from my Unit Team, I hope to accomplish the following tasks:
- Learn more about business law so that I can be a better citizen in the future.
- Volunteer in ways that staff members recommend, especially in my facility’s education services.
- Journal about my progress and share those writings with our community.
- Read books that will help me become more aware of the influences that led me to this problem.
- Engage in programming to advance my knowledge of finances.
- Reflect on what I learned from reading, and then I will apply those lessons to volunteer work that I intend to complete upon my release.
Working toward the above goals is important to my personal growth and to make amends to those I’ve harmed. I also hope that, in so doing, I will demonstrate my worthiness for release at the earliest possible opportunity.
I hope my Unit Team will support the personal release plan that I put into place and consider me a good candidate for maximum placement on home confinement for the reasons expressed below.
Community Support:
When the Unit Team deems it appropriate, I intend to return to the home I share with my husband and three children. I intend to live at the following address:
713 Bill Belt Rd.
Marksville, LA 71351
My husband and colleagues offer the following letters for my unit team to consider.
- Husband: Daniel Lachney III (XXX-XXX-XXX)
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing in support of my wife, Kayla. While her upbringing was unstable, Kayla has overcome significant challenges to become a devoted mother and contributing member of our community.
Despite Kayla’s father battling addiction and her family’s constant relocations, Kayla managed to begin building a loving family. She had our first daughter when she was just 15, but took on the responsibilities of parenthood with maturity. I’ve seen her manage both businesses and the challenges of parenting and am grateful to call her my wife. Over the years, we’ve raised four great kids who are now adults making their own way in the world.
In addition to being a wonderful mother, Kayla contributes to our town in many ways. She is always the first to deliver a hot meal to a sick neighbor or watch someone’s kids in a pinch. Kayla understands hardship and is quick to help anyone in need.
Despite the crime that brings her to your facility, I hope you will see that Kayla’s strength of character allows her to transform adversity into service for others. She is an irreplaceable source of love and support for our family and a true asset to our community. I know that with proper guidance and supervision, Kayla will continue on her path to creating positive change.
When she is permitted to do so, our children and I look forward to welcoming her home. She has our permission to live at our home in Marksville, where she will have what she needs to return to a healthy, law-abiding life.
Please feel free to contact me if I can provide any additional information.
Respectfully,
Daniel Lachney
713 Bill Belt Rd.
Marksville, LA 71351
C: 318-359-1913
- Employers: Tonenikea Wilson and Sarah Reech
Dear Unit Team,
We are writing on behalf of Kayla Lachney. She is a teacher at our school, Riverside Elementary. She began teaching for us in August of 2023. Since being hired at our school, she has demonstrated exceptional dedication and passion in the classroom.
Mrs. Kayla possesses a remarkable ability to engage students; fostering a positive an inclusive learning environment. She goes beyond the curriculum, by adapting teaching methods to meet the diverse needs of students. This care an concern was recognized recently with her being awarded teacher of the year by the Avoyelles Parish School Board.
In addition to her outstanding teaching abilities, Mrs. Kayla is an exemplary team member, always willing to collaborate colleagues and contribute to the overall success of the school community. We look forward to welcoming her back with open arms when she is permitted to return to work.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regards Mrs. Kayla, or her suitability for future employment.
Sincerely,
Tonenikea Wilson
Principal, Riverside Elementary
Avoyelles Parish School District
318-941-2699
Sarah Reech
Assistant Principal, Riverside Elementary
Avoyelles Parish School District
318-941-2699
Medical Prescriptions and Substance Abuse:
I live with several mental health conditions, which I manage through medication and regular appointments with mental health professionals. This information is contained in my PSR and confirmed in the attached letter from Dr. James Logan, Medical Psychologist. He confirms my diagnoses of Dysthymic Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. I take the following medications as prescribed by my care team:
- Citalopram (Duloxetine) – anti-depressant/anti-anxiety
- Xanax (Alprazolam) – anti-anxiety
- Abilify (Aripiprazole) – mood stabilizer
- Vraylar (Cariprazine) – mood stabilizer
- Seroquel (Quetiapine Fumarate) – antipsychotic
- Cetirizine (Zyrtec) – antihistamine
- Protonix (Pantoprazole) – proton-pump inhibitor
- Potassium Chloride ER– mineral for potassium deficiency
- Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine) – ADHD medication
While it is not reflected in my PSR, I have struggled with my drinking, especially since my court proceedings began. In recent years, I’ve begun drinking multiple times per week despite knowing that it causes complications with my current medications. My alcohol use has become steadily worse, to the point where it has affected other areas of my life.
I want help to address this problematic behavior. I seek the advice of my Unit Team to understand how I may qualify for participation in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). If granted the opportunity to engage in this program, I will give myself to it fully so that I can return to my family better than how I left.
I will comply with any and all directives from my care team to treat these and any other health conditions that may arise.
Financial Obligations:
Besides a 36-month sentence, my judge imposed $388,946.82 in restitution. I recognize the seriousness of these obligations and have developed a plan that will allow me to repay these debts upon my return to the community. While incarcerated, I will comply with the Financial Responsibility Program, as directed by my Unit Team.
Once I am released, I will resume my career, using skills I continue to develop, and I will fulfill any remaining obligations as quickly as possible.
Risk and Needs Assessment:
From reading the Bureau of Prisons’ website, I learned a great deal about needs and risk assessments. Once I surrender, it’s my understanding that I’ll need to complete SPARC-13 survey that will help staff members measure 13 factors that can influence criminal behavior:
- Anger/hostility: I perceive that I get frustrated easily and intend to work on this behavior.
- Antisocial peers: I do not socialize or interact with people who violate the law. Despite my conviction, crime was not a way of life for me.
- Cognitions: I do not have any cognitive or learning impairments.
- Dyslexia: I have not been diagnosed with dyslexia.
- Education: I have a bachelor’s degree and am currently working towards a master’s. I care deeply about education and spend my life helping others achieve their goals.
- Family/parenting: I have excellent relationships with my immediate and extended family.
- Finance/poverty: I anticipate returning to gainful employment and satisfying my restitution as quickly as possible after release.
- Medical: I perceive that I’m in good physical health and have no complaints to report.
- Mental Health: I have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. To manage these conditions, I see a psychiatrist regularly and take my medications as directed by my care team.
- Recreation/Leisure/Fitness: I enjoy spending time with family and am working to complete my master’s degree.
- Substance abuse: I began using alcohol to cope with my criminal proceedings, which has grown into a problem I have difficulty controlling. I intend to work with my Unit Team to find ways to address this problematic behavior.
- Trauma: During an arrest in 2020, several of my ribs were broken. Though this is not relevant to the case that brings me to this facility, I did begin drinking more frequently as a result.
- Work: I have always been a hard worker, and it’s my hope that a solid, self-directed work ethic will allow me to return to gainful employment quickly.
Personal Plan:
While serving my sentence, I will follow the guidance of my Unit Team. To the extent possible, I would like to participate in self-help and personal development courses. They should help me work toward repaying society for the problems I created. I want to volunteer to assist people who advance their education.
To address my needs, I intend to spend time reading to the best of my ability. To the extent possible, I intend to read books on leadership and personal development. After reading each book, I will take the following steps:
- Step 1: Write the title of each book I read.
- Step 2: Write the date I finished reading each book.
- Step 3: Write why I chose to read each book.
- Step 4: Write what I learned from reading each book.
- Step 5: Write how reading each book will contribute to my success upon release.
I have organized my reading list into the sections set forth below. I designed those sections in response to what I’ve read about risk assessments and the SPARC-13.
- Thought – Books on personal growth will help me become a more thoughtful person and a better member of the broader community. Books on thought would address the SPARC13’s emphasis on cognitions.
- Finance – I would like to develop my understanding of how to manage financial affairs properly and efficiently, given the significance of my financial sanction. Books on finance would address the SPARC-13’s emphasis on finance/poverty.
- Service– Given the SPARC-13’s emphasis on personal accountability, I thought it would be helpful to read books that would contribute to the service I want to provide upon release.
- Biography: Given the SPARC-13’s emphasis on mental health, I have selected a series of biographies so that I can learn from people who’ve lived as contributing citizens. This book should address the criminogenic needs of antisocial peers, education, and mental health.
On the Bureau of Prisons’ website, I found Program Statement 5350.27: Inmate Manuscripts. It complies with the Code of Federal Regulations, which holds that:
- “An inmate may prepare a manuscript for private use or for publication while in custody without staff approval.”
The above Program Statement encourages me, as I intend to comply with all rules. But I want to publish the book reports I write. By documenting my journey through prison, I memorialize the various ways that a person can work to build mental health with a deliberate, intentional plan to prepare. Strength comes through transparency and reconciliation, and I plan to build a record showing how I used time in prison to grow stronger.
Before surrendering to serve my sentence, I will order the first two books. While waiting for guidance from my Unit Team, I will carry out the plan by reading. If appropriate, I will teach others how they can engineer a release plan that helps them prepare for success upon release.
By sending my book reports home, I will help my family stay in tune with the progress I’m making and keep our connection strong. We’re working through these challenges together, and I want her to know of the preparations I’m making to grow stronger and persevere while I serve my sentence.
Besides adhering to my own plan, I also will follow guidance from the experts in the BOP.
Advisors:
I have collaborated with my loved ones in developing this release plan. They will be my accountability partners in sticking true to the plan. I will continue to evolve the plan as I receive guidance from my unit team.
Staff Guides: Federal Prison:
Unit Manager Name:
Case Manager Name: Counselor Name:
Work Detail Supervisor:
Halfway house Supervisor:
Probation Officer:
